Process and apparatus for making pile-surfaced material



June 15, 1954 H NG TAL 2,681,446

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PILE-SURF'ACED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 7,1951 IIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIlIIII |||vl ln nnunnuu FIG. I.

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H- EWING Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATES ATNT OFFICE PROCESS ANDAPPARATUS FOR MAKING PILE-SURFACED MATERIAL Application November 7,1951, Serial No. 255,309

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 7, 1950 4 Claims.(1171"1) This invention relates to process and apparatus for theproduction of textile fabrics etc, and in particular to a process andapparatus for forming a pile on the adhesive coated surface of atravelling web.

It is well known to make pile fabrics (including suedette fabrics) bycausing short fibres to adhere to a suitable backing material, forexam-- pie to an adhesive-coated web. Many methods have been describedfor facilitating the application of the fibres to the surface byactivating them in an electric field through which the adhesive-coatedweb is caused to travel. In British Patent No. 650,988 we have describeda method of making pile fabrics wherein the ad hesive-coated web travelsthrough an electric condenser in which is maintained an alternatingfield of special characteristics, and the fibres are fed between theadhesive-coated surface of the fabric and one plate of the condenser,the effect of the field being to set the fibre in to-and-fro motionbetween said surface and said plate and produce on the adhesive-coatedsurface a substantially uniform distribution of fibres, the fibres beingaligned with their axes substantially perpendicular to said surface andadhering thereto. An alternating voltage is applied to the condenserthrough a variable spark gap from a charging source (for example, a.high tension magneto), the voltage of which varies periodically and,during each cycle, rises steeply to a peak, immediately falls steeplytherefrom, re mains substantially zero for a much longer period thanthat occupied by said rise and fall, falls steeply to a minimumarithmetically equal to said peak, immediately rises steeply therefrom,and

continues at substantially zero for the rest of the cycle. The variablespark gap is adjusted so that, under the influence of the alternatingvoltage supplied, the fibres move rapidly to-and-fro as described above.

The continuous supply of fibre in the correct amount to provide a pileof the desired density and substantial uniformity presents somediniculty, and the present invention has as its principal object toimprove the method of feeding the fibre to the adhesive-coated surfacein processes of the kind described and allied processes involvingactivation of a fibre in an electric field.

In the preferred form of the process described in British Patent No.650,988, as shown in the drawing of that specification, theadhesive-coated web travels in a substantially horizontal direction pasta station at which the fibre falls on to the fabric under gravity, andthe fabric and fibre Y then immediately pass in a downward directioninto and through a condenser or condensers where the orientation anddistribution of the fibres on the adhesive-coated surface occurs underthe influence of the electric field. This condenser or these condenserswill hereafter be referred to as the main condenser or condensers todistinguish from an auxiliary condenser to be referred to later, and thefields in the main and auxiliary condensers will be termed the main andauxiliary fields.

W e have now found that the method of feeding the fibre described abovecan be much improved by causing the fibres fed to the fabric, beforepassing into the main field to pass through an auxiliary field in whichthey are orientated and most of those fibres that do not become attachedto the coated surface are supported by the attached (upstanding) fibres.The desired orientation and spacing can be done by arranging for thefibres to drop on to the fabric while .it is travelling substantiallyhorizontally through an electric field, the lines of force of which aresubstantially vertical. A convenient arrangement is to drop the fibresthrough a grid forming one electrode of an auxiliary condenser, theother electrode being a substantially horizontal plate situated belowthe fabric.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates a process for makingpile-surface materials by causing loose fibres to adhere to anadhesivecoated surface of a travelling web and hardening the adhesive,wherein the web runs through two high-voltage fields in succession, itspath through the first, into which the fibres are fed, being at an anglegreater than 45 to the vertical, its path through the second beingdownwards at an angle greater than 45 to the horizontal, the first fieldtending to orientate the fibres with their long axes perpendicular tosaid surface and to direct them so orientated into contact with theadhesive coating, the rate of feed being such that part of said fibresbecome attached to said coating and part remain unattached and supportedby the attached, upstanding fibres, the second field serving toorientate part of the unattached, fibres and project them into contactwith said coating, most of the rest of the unattached fibres fallingaway from the path of the web, and the web after leaving said secondfield being carried through a zone in which the adhesive is hardened.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises means for drawing a webalong a path having a run inclined at an angle greater than 45 to thevertical followed immediately by a run inclined downwards at an anglegreater than 45 to the horizontal, an electric condenser having oneelectrode parallel to and below the first run, and the other electrodein the form of a grid parallel to and above said run, a second condenserhaving its electrodes parallel to, and one above and the other below,the second run, means for feeding loose fibres to the space above saidgrid, means for creating in the first con denser a high-voltage electricfield tending to orientate the fibres with their long axes perpendicular to the surface of the web and to direct them. so orientatedtoward said surface, and means for creating in the second condenser ahigh-voltage electric field for orientating unattached fibres carriedinto said field by the web and projecting them towards the web.

The field in the auxiliary condenser may be constant in direction andintensity; or it may fluctuate in intensity, or in both direction andintensity. Preferably an alternating voltage is applied, and especiallya voltage of the character applied to the main condensers as specifiedin British Patent No. 650,983. As described in that specification, afield of particularly suitable characteristics can be obtained in themain condenser or condensers by applying the alternating voltage theretothrough a correctly adjusted variable spark gap from a charging-source,e. g. a high-tension magneto, the voltage developed by which variesperiodically and, during each cycle, rises steeply to a peak,immediately falls steeply therefrom, remains substantially zero for amuch longer period than that occupied by said rise and fall, fallssteeply to a minimum arithmetically equal to said peak, immediatelyrises steeply therefrom, and continues at substantially zero for therest of the cycle. The desired field for the auxiliary condenser can beobtained in the same way, for example by earthing the grid of theauxiliary condenser and connecting the other electrode through anadjustable spark gap with a high tension'magneto. A suitable magneto maybe used to charge the auxiliary condenser as well as one or more maincondensers.

The best results have been obtained when, in addition to the variablespark gap, a fixed spark is provided between the secondary winding ofthe magneto and the leads to the variable gap. This fixed gap may, forinstance, be provided by feeding the current in the secondary to thedistributor terminals through a rotating arm between which and theseveral terminals at its nearest approach to them there is a gap ofseveral millimetres. eral need to be set much wider than the fixed gap,e. g. 6 to 12 mm. I will generally be necessary in order to avoidsparking in the condenser to provide between one plate of the mainccndenser and the path of the fabric a sheet of material of dielectricconstant at least 3 and preferably higher and of high dielectricstrength, e. g. polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene or rubber hydrochloride.This increases the charge which the condenser can take without dischargebetween the charged plates and the earthed plate The magneto should becapable of developing a voltage of the order of 10,000 volts, andpreferably a considerably higher voltage, e. g. 20,000 to 50,000 voltsor even up to 100,000 volts. In general the greater the distance apartof the plates the higher the voltage should be. With the condenserplates at a distance apart of inch, useful results have been obtainedwhen the potential drop across the spark gap is be The variable gapswill in gen- 4 tween 15,000 and 50,000 volts. A suitable range offrequency for the alternating field is 8 to 15 cycles per second. Ingeneral, the greater the distance between the plates the lower should bethe frequency.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings Figure 1 shows in partsectional elevation apparatus according to the invention for forming thepile fabric; Figure 2 is an exaggerated representation (also in partsectional elevation) of the kind of distribution of fibre on the fabricthat appears to occur immediately under the grid it of Figure 1 when theauxiliary condenser is operated; and Figure 3 is an exaggeratedrepresentation (also in part sectional elevation) of the kind of fibredistribution that appears to occur under the grid H! of Figure 1 whenthe auxiliary condenser is not operated.

Referring now to Figure l, the fabric I is drawn from the supply roll 2over the supporting roll 3 and guide bars 4 under the dope casting box 5and flexible doctor blade 6 and through a heating cabinet (not shown)having radiant heating elements 7. Dope comprising a heat-hardenableadhesive in solution in a volatile solvent flows from the dope castingbox 5 on to the surface of the fabric forming a thick layer ia which isspread by the doctor blade to form a layer lb which may, for instance,be of thickness 0.015". Within the drying cabinet the volatile solventis evaporated. Beyond the drying cabinet the coated fabric passes undera rotating perforated drum '8 into which the loose fibres 5 are fed andfrom which they fall by gravity towards the grid Hi. This is formed byconducting wires running across the direction of travel of the fabric ata distance of to inch above its surface, the wires being spaced 4 inchapart. The wires are electrically connected to an earth wire H.Immediately below the fabric where it passes beneath the drum 8, is ametal plate 52 forming one electrode of an electric condenser of whichthe other electrode is the grid it. The upper surface of the plate 32 iscovered by a sheet of insulating material, for example polyvinylchloride or polystyrene, which is not shown. Beyond the grid 10 thefabric, now carrying a layer it of fibres (some attached to andupstanding, the rest supported by the attached fibres), passes over theguide roll it and runs in a downward direction through three successiveelectric condensers having a common electrode i5 with an earthconnection It the inner surface of which is covered by an insulatingsheet ll of polyvinyl chloride or polystyrene, and separate liveelectrodes l8, l9, and 2b. The electrodes l2, l8, l9 and are connectedthrough leads 2!, 22, 23, and 2d and spark gaps 25, 26, 21 and 28 toleads 2%, 3e, 3! and 32 respectively, which are in turn connected to thedistributor 40 of an American Bosche 14-point aero magneto il having agap of /8 inch between the rotor arm and the output terminals of thedistributor. Lead 25 is connected to the first, fourth, seventh andtenth terminals of the distributor; lead 3c is connected to the third,sixth, ninth and twelfth terminals. of the distributor; lead 3! isconnected to the fifth, eighth, eleventh and fourteenth terminals of thedistributor; lead 32 is connected to the second and thirteenth terminalsof the distributor. An alternative arrangement using a 9-point magnetoand omitting electrode '26 and its connections altogether is as follows:lead 28 connected to the first, fourth and seventh terminals of thedistributor; lead 30 to the second, fifth and eight terminals andlead 3!to the third, sixth and ninth terminals. With this arrangement it isnecessary to run the fabric through the machine more slowly than withthe arrangement described above.

The electrodes of the spark gaps are discs of inch diameter. The gapsare enclosed in a casing of polystyrene out of which projectthumb-screws for adjustingthe size of each gap over a range from zero toabout 1 inch.

Beyond the last condenser (formed by the electrode and earth plate H)the fabric is taken round a guide roll 33 whence it runs substantiallyhorizontally into a vulcanising chamber (not shown). Loose fibre 34 thathas not become attached to the fabric by the time the guide roll 33 isreached falls under gravity into the bin 35. In the course of thestraight run 36 of the fabric (now provided with the pile 31) from theguide roll 33 to the vulcanising chamber, any fibres not firmly attachedare removed by the beater as, which is in the form of a rotating cagewith bars 39 extending over the width of the fabric and making contactwith the back, uncoated, surface thereof.

The vulcanising chamber is similar in con struction to the wellknownfestoon dryer. It provides for slow passage of the material through aheated atmosphere in which the adhesive is hardened to a flexible,non-sticky, form.

In operation, the fabric is run through the machine, for instance, at aspeed ranging from 1 to 3 yards per minute. Fibre is distributed to thespace above the grid lflin greater amount per unit time than is requiredto provide the fabric with a pile of the desired density. The magneto isrotated at about 1,000 revolutions per minute and the spark gaps areadjusted so that fibres falling through the grid I0 move rapidly up anddown until they contact and adhere to the adhesive coating or arecarried beyond the electrode l2. During passage between the grid ID andthe electrode 12 most of the fibre that does not become attached to thecoated surface is supported by the attached fibres. When the fabric runsdownwards over the guide roll it these loose fibres fall under gravity,forming a cloud between the adhesive coated surface of the fabric andthe earth plate 15. During their downward course in the field betweenthe earth plate and the electrodes l8, l9 and 20, most of these loosefibres become attached to the coating, and, as described above, thosewhich do not become so attached fall out of path of the fabric into thebin 35. stantially even density the fibres should be fed from the drum 8at such a rate that excess fibres accumulate in the bin 35.

A great advantage of the method and apparatus of the invention is that adense and substantially evenly distributed pile can be simply obtainedthereby. In the absence of the preorientation provided by the fieldbetween the grid Ill and the electrode l2, it is difficult to adjust thefeed of fibre so as to obtain asubstantially uniform fibre distribution.All forms of fibre distributor that have been tried without apro-orienting field have been found to deposit the fibres in greaterdensity in some areas of the fabric than in others. When a pre-orientingfield is operated this unevenness in density still obtains but in theareas of lower density the fibres are upstanding and anchored in theadhesive coating, and in the areas of higher density the fibres insteadof being piled randomly upon To ensure a pile of adequate and sub- F .6one another are substantially all orientated parallel to the lines offorce of the field those which have not become anchored in the coating,being supported endwise by the attached fibres in this area. Figures 2and 3 respectively are intended to represent in an exaggerated andidealised form the kind of fibre arrangements that occur with andwithout the pre-orientating field.

The areas of low fibre density 9a are shown alternating with smallerareas 9b of high fibre density.

When the fabric leaves the pre-orientating field and runs downwards tothe main field the unattached fibres fall in a cloud through the mainfield where a substantial proportion of them become attached to thecoating in. the areas of low fibre density thereon. In the absence of apie-orienting field the fibres as a whole are much less accessible tothe action of the main field when they arrive therein; some fibres areattached lengthwise instead of endwise to the coating and it has notbeen found possible to obtain such evenness of distribution as can beobtained with pre-orientation, even by running the fabric much moreslowly through the machine.

The path of the adhesive'coated web past the feeding station ispreferably horizontal and in any case should be at an angle greater than45 from the vertical. With regard to the downward flight of the webthrough the main condensers, this may be vertical but is preferably at asmaller angle than 90, for example to to the horizontal such that thepile, assuming this to project perpendicularly from the surface of thefabric, inclines downwards. Thus if the flight past the feeding stationis horizontal the angle between this flight and the downward flight ispreferably 70 to 85. Preferably an arrangement is provided for removingfrom the fabric emerging from the condensers any excess fibre that hasnot fallen away during its passage through the condensers. Such anarrangement may take the form of a rotating brush as described inBritish Patent No. 650,988. A more effective device for the purpose is aheater in the form of a rapidly rotating cage of four or more bars heldbetween the circular end plates and mounted transversely above the pathof the fabric so that the bars just touch the fabric.

In carrying out the invention, excellent results have been obtainedusing as the backing-fabric a fabric of cotton or other form ofcellulose, including regenerated cellulose. Fabrics of high tenacityregenerated cellulose such as is obtainable by saponifying celluloseacetate yarn that has been stretched considerably in steam or hot waterare particularly suitable when a strong light-weight backing fabric isrequired. Backing fabrics of other materials can be used, includingmaterials of higher dielectric constant and dielectric strength andlower moisture regain than cotton, for example silk, wool, casein.soya-bean protein and other proteinaceous fibres; cellulose acetate;fibre-forming condensation polymers such as nylon; fibre-formingaddition polymers such as copolymers of vinyl chloride with vinylacetate, with vinylidene chloride, or

. with acrylonitrile, or of acrylonitrile with methacrylonitrile; andmineral fibre-forming materials such as glass. Instead of using a fabricfor the backing material, other flexible nonmetallic webs can be used,e. g. webs of paper or films of regenerated cellulose or of a celluloseester or ether (e. g. the acetate, propionate, acetate-propionate oracetate-butyrate, or ethyl cellulose) or of any of the syntheticpolymers referred to above. Metal foils or fabrics can also be used.

The staple fibre used may be composed of any of the materials specifiedabove with reference to the backing fabric. Excellent products have beenobtained with staple fibre of length between 0.5 and mm, and especiallybetween 0.5 and 1 mm. and of denier between 2.5 and 5. The fibre shouldbe free from oil and dry.

The adhesive used should be capable of conversion from a sticky form toa non-sticky fiexible form. It may, for example, be of the kind referredto in British Patent No. 644,002. Thus, for example, a suitable adhesivecomprises polyvinyl acetate plasticised with a major proportion of avolatile plasticiser such as dimethyl phthalate, glycol diacetate,triethyl phosphate or tributyl phosphate, and a minor proportion of aless volatile plasticiser such as tricresyl phosphate. As described inthe said application, a thin foundation-layer of plastioised polyvinylchloride is preferably provided for such an adhesive. Another form ofadhesive that is very suitable, particularly for bonding celluloseacetate fiber to a cellulose acetate fabric, comprises a solution in avolatile solvent of a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile,vulcanising ingredients therefor, and a mixture of two plasticisers ofdifferent volatilities, e. g. dimethyl phthalate and di-Z-ethyl hexylphthalate or di-cyclo hexyl phthalate, as described in British PatentNo. 697,739. The solution is applied to the fabric, the volatile solventevaporated leaving a sticky coating and, after formation of the pile,the coating is hardened by evaporation of more volatile plasticiser andvulcanisation of the polymer. Other kinds of adhesive capable of beinghardened to give a flexible coating, so firmly anchoring the pile, canbe used. Thus, for example, the adhesive may be a dispersion of aplasticised polymer, e. g. polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl acetate, thatundergoes gelling when heated. Blends of polyvinyl chloride or the likewith rubber-like polymers, e. g. copolymers of butadiene withacrylonitrile, may also be used. Or the adhesive may have basis of aheat-hardening synthetic resin, e. g. a heat-hardening addition polymersuch as diallyl phthalate or allyl diglycol phthalate, any necessarycatalyst being present in the adhesive composition. Adhesives having abasis of an aqueous dispersion which can be set by drying, such asrubber latex, or aqueous dispersions of vinyl polymers, e. g. polyvinylacetate, can also be used. The adhesive preferably spread on to thetravelling web by a doctor blade which may with advantage be flexible todeal with any irregularities in the web.

The hardening of the adhesive coating after application of thestaple-fibre may be effected, for example, by radiant heat, bydielectric heating, or by means of a current of hot air. A veryconvenient arrangement is to draw the coated fabric by means of pinrolls engaging only the edge of the fabric, through a festoon dryer ofthe kind in which the material hangs in loops while travelling throughthe drying chamber. In this way the pile is not damaged.

The following examples illustrate the invention.

8 Example I The apparatus is as shown in Figure l of the drawing.

The web is a plain woven fabric of continuous filament cellulose acetateyarn of weight 2 to 3 oz./sq. yd. The flock used to form the pile is ofcellulose acetate fibres of length 0.5 to 1 mm. and denier 2.5 to 5. Theadhesive has the following composition:

800 parts of Hycar O. R. 15

1600 parts of dimethyl phthalate 400 parts of di-Z-ethyl hexyl phthalateparts of a resin ofsoftening point 123 0. obtained by polymerisation ofa petroleum cracking distillate in which none of the unsaturatedconstituents boils below 130 0., at least 70% of the total weight of theunsaturated constituents consists of one or both of the substancesbeta-methyl styrene and indene, and said total weight does not containas much as 5% of any (ii-unsaturated substance.

parts of zinc oxide 16 parts of sulphur 8 parts of stearic acid 2 partsof tetramethyl thiuram disulphide 8 parts of benzthiazyl disulphide 24parts of yellow ochre 2560 parts of a 60:40 mixture (by volume of methylethyl ketone.

The fabric is run through the machine at a speed of 3 yards per minute,the variable spark gaps being adjusted (to a gap in the neighbourhood ofinch) until the flock is caused to move to-and-fro in the electricfields. The time of passage through the vulcanising chamber, which iskept at 85 to C. is 15 to 20 hours.

Example II The process is carried out as in Example I, but using as theweb a fabric of the weight and construction specified made of continuousfilament regenerated cellulose yarn.

In the same way as in Examples I and II (but with a different adjustmentof the variable spark gap) the process can be carried out using a staplefibre of regenerated cellulose made by the viscose process.

Other adhesives may be used, c. g. any of those specified in BritishPatent No. 697,739. Or an adhesive comprising an aqueous dispersion ofpolyvinyl acetate mixed with natural or synthetic rubber latex andvulcanising ingredients can be used.

The invention has been described with referenw to a process in which themain condensers are charged through spark gaps from a magneto. This isthe preferred method. Other ways of charging the condensers may howeverbe adopted. They may, for instance, be charged from a stepup transformerfed with low voltage A..C., or from a valve-oscillator.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

1. In a process for making pile-surface materials by causing loosefibres to adhere to an adhesive-coated surface of a travelling web andkctone and methyl isobutyl -hardening the adhesive, the steps which comprise running the web through two high-voltage alternating fields insuccession, its path through the first being substantially horizontaland the ,fibres beingdropped vertically into this field,

its path through the second being downwards, the horizontal path ofmovement of said web and the downward path of movement of said webforming an angle of 70 to 90, each field being perpendicular to the pathof the web through that field, the first field tending to orientate thefibres with their long axes perpendicular to said surface and to directthem so orientated into contact with the adhesive coating, the rate offeed being such that part of said fibres become attached to said coatingand part remain unattached and supported by the. attached, upstandingfibres, the second field serving to orientate part of the unattachedfibres and project them into contact with said coating, most of the restof the unattached fibres falling away from the path of the web, andcarrying the web after leaving said second field through a zone in whichthe adhesive is hardened.

2. In a process according to claim 1, the step of establishing eachfield in the space between two metallic surfaces, one on each side ofthe path of the web, and both parallel to said path, by applying analternating voltage to one surface of each set of two, from a chargingsource the electromotive force of which varies periodically and duringeach cycle, rises steeply to a peak, immediately falls steeplytherefrom, remains substantially zero for a much longer period than thatoccupied by said rise and fall, falls steeply to a minimumarithmetically equal to said peak, immediately rises steeply therefromand continues at substantially zero for the rest of the cycle, andarranging the size of the spark gap so that the fields cause fibres ofthe kind used to move to-and-fro.

3. Apparatus suitable for making pile-surface material by causing loosefibres to adhere to an adhesive-coated surface of a travelling web,which comprises means for drawing a web along a path having asubstantially horizontal run followed immediately by a run inclineddownwards, the

horizontal path of movement of said web and the downward run of said webforming an angle of '70 to 90, an electric condenser having oneelectrode parallel to and below the first run, and a second electrode inthe form of a grid parallel to and above said run, a second condenserhaving its electrodes parallel to, and on opposite sides of the secondrun, means for dropping loose fibres through said grid, means forcreating in the first condenser a high-voltage alternating electricfield tending to orientate the fibres with their long axes perpendicularto the surface of the web and to direct them so orientated towards saidsurface, and means for creating in the second condenser a high voltagealternating electric field for orientating unattached fibres carriedinto said field by the web and projecting them towards the web.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the means for creating thefields comprise a hightension magneto connected through a variablespark-gap to one electrode of each condenser.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,854,071 Schacht Apr. 12, 1932 1,895,711 Foley Jan. 11, 19332,152,077 Meston et a1 Mar. 28, 1939 2,173,032 Wintermute Sept. 12, 19392,328,577 Oglesby Sept. 7, 1943 2,328,904 Hiers Sept. 7, 1943 2,358,227Hiers Sept. 12, 1944 2,371,605 Carlton et a1 Mar. 20, 1945 2,457,256Melton et a1 Dec. 28, 1948 2,459,874 Fay Jan. 25, 1949 2,551,101Debenham et al May 1, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 650,988Great Britain Mar. 7, 1951

1. IN A PROCESS FOR MAKING PILE-SURFACE MATERIALS BY CAUSING LOOSEFIBERS TO ADHERE TO AN ADHESIVE-COATED SURFACE OF A TRAVELLING WEB ANDHARDENING THE ADHESIVE, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE RUNNING THE WEB THROUGHTWO HIGH-VOLTAGE ALTERNATING FIELDS IN SUCCESSION, ITS PATH THROUGH THEFIRST BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND THE FIBERS BEING DROPPEDVERTICALLY INTO THIS FIELD, ITS PATH THROUGH THE SECOND BEING DOWNWARDS,THE HORIZONTAL PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID WEB AND THE DOWNWARD PATH OFMOVEMENT OF SAID WEB FORMING AN ANGLE OF 70 TO 90*, EACH FIELD BEINGPERPENDICULAR TO THE PATH OF THE WEB THROUGH THAT FIELD, THE FIRST FIELDTENDING TO ORIENTATE THE FIBRES WITH THEIR LONG AXES PERPENDICULAR TOSAID SURFACE AND TO DIRECT THEM SO ORIENTATED INTO CONTACT WITH THEADHESIVE COATING, THE RATE OF FEED BEING SUCH THAT PART OF SAID FIBRESBECOME ATTACHED TO SAID COATING AND PART REMAIN UNATTACHED AND SUPPORTEDBY THE ATTACHED, UPSTANDING FIBRES, THE SECOND FIELD SERVING TOORIENTATE PART OF THE UNATTACHED FIBRES AND PROJECT THEM INTO CONTACTWITH SAID COATING, MOST OF THE REST OF THE UNATTACHED FIBRES FALLINGAWAY FROM THE PATH OF THE WEB, AND CARRYING THE WEB AFTER LEAVING SAIDSECOND FIELD THROUGH A ZONE IN WHICH THE ADHESIVE IS HARDENED.